# Sports

14-year-old Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad set to be youngest cricketer in history of IPL Auction

A left-arm chinaman spinner, Noor Ahmad was impressive when he visited India for an Under-19 series. He took nine wickets in five matches.

SNS | New Delhi | December 13, 2019 6:33 pm

14-year-old Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad set to be youngest cricketer in history of IPL Auction

After Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman became a sensation at a young age in the cricketing world with their performance in Indian Premier League (IPL), another Afghanistani teenager Noor Ahmad is set to grab the eyeballs in the upcoming auction of the cash-rich league.

A left-arm chinaman spinner, Ahmad was impressive when he visited India for an Under-19 series. In the five matches, he had picked up nine wickets and impressed the scouts of Rajasthan Royals who had called him for a trial recently.

He is among the seven Afghanistani players registered for this year’s auction to be held in Kolkata on December 19 in Kolkata.

Of the 997 cricketers who had registered for the upcoming auction, 332 have been selected. Among the players who will go under the hammers, 186 are Indians and 143 are from different overseas countries. There will be 3 cricketers from the Associate Nations as well.

Australia, with 35 players in the shortlisted candidates, will have the highest representation after India. They will be followed by South Africa with 23 players, 22 from England, 19 from the West Indies, 18 from New Zealand and 14 from Sri Lanka and five from Bangladesh.

The United States of America (USA) pacer Ali Khan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) pacer Zahoor Khan and Scotland’s George Munsey are the three cricketers from Associate Nations.

Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn and swashbuckling Australian all-rounder have been shortlisted for the highest base price of Indian National Rupees (INR) 2 crore.

Alongside Steyn and Maxwell, Australian cricketers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Chris Lynn have been kept in the bracket of the highest base price. Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews has also been shortlisted in this bracket.

Robin Uthappa, with the base price of INR 1.5 crore, is the highest-priced Indian player. The former Karnataka batsman was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this year

# Opinion

Variably voluble

Before the IPL began this time around in West Asia, and Chennai Super Kings found themselves in a tight corner after a rash of positive Covid-19 tests among them, Kohli it was who was got hold of to deliver a stern warning against violating coronavirus protocols.

# Opinion

Game time

If the mental well-being of cricketers herded into mandatory isolation is by now a popular area of curiosity and discussion elsewhere in the world, one or two admonitions from Virat Kohli could be seen to have had a very telling impact on those potentially recalcitrant ones who might, with uncalculated risk-taking, have endangered the IPL’s smooth progress to its bountiful conclusion.

# Opinion

Bad bubble

The Board of Control for Cricket in India is in this shepherded by the British company that, after its recent experiments and experiences back home, has got the thing up, quite clearly insisting on the sort of zero-tolerance attitude to normality that has, until Covid-19 struck, been life beyond the boundary.